COP28 organisers call for inclusive summit; how diverse is negotiating table?

Climate activist Lisa NoBaya sat in a room filled with stakeholders at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai and asked the delegates what inclusivity looks like at COP28 does it mean diverse voices are simply present or actively participating in what the outcome of the talks will look likeThe 28yearolds question received affirmative nods from across the room Many women young people and Indigenous voices say they feel theyre relegated to mere attendance with limited opportunities to contribute substantially to the decisive meetings despite promises to make the talks more inclusive Even attendance at the talks is lopsided making meaningful inclusion even more difficult they sayIf by inclusivity they mean that the women youth and Indigenous community is just to be present here and not speak then this is not inclusive but ridiculous NoBaya said COP28 President Sultan alJaber previously promised to ensure that this years climate summit will be the most inclusive and actionoriented yet and will bring in perspectives from all sides of the debate from voices like young activists but also fossil fuel companies the latter drawing fierce criticism from environmentalistsHindou Oumarou Ibrahim a negotiator from Chad said its not just about how many women are in the halls but how many are in charge At last years summit it was two women who lead the way for the talks biggest win securing a fund for loss and damage from climate disasters for developing nationsOf the 133 world leaders who gave speeches at the first few days of COP28 only 15 were women It was an improvement from the previous year where only seven of 110 leaders attending were women Among delegates only 3837 were women according to the UN Framework Climate Change Convention data on registration of delegates three percentage points higher than last yearThere were some visible attempts at inclusion from presidency When alJaber announced ministerial pairings to lead parts of negotiations five of the eight ministers were women and three of them were from global south nations But overall women are still underrepresented in negotiations delegates sayWe do not even have onetenth of women representation here Oumarou Ibrahim said We have women experts on all climate actions women dealing with technology we have women politicians But why are they not here Why are they not at the decisionmaking tablesJeniffer Corpuz an Igorot leader from the Philippines and policy lead at the nonprofit Nia Tero said there is inclusivity in the outside spaces like demonstrations and side events but not so much in the inside spaces of the COPs where the real decisionmaking happens Corpuz is present in the closeddoor negotiation meetingsThere are historical circumstances which has put us in this situation with not enough power Corpuz said Sara Omi a delegate representing the Emberaacute People of Panama said womens participation in the dialogues is still largely invisibleOur participation is crucial because we the women are the ones who keep alive the resistance of our people we are the keepers of ancestral knowledge that is transmitted from generation to generation We are also the ones fighting for the food security of our people We need for women to effectively be included in all dialogues she saidOmi suggested that inclusion needs to start within country delegations and added that theres hope things can change She looked toward her own story as an example and said her nations encouragement helped get her a seat at the table I have been sent to the negotiation table because they trust me and my capability to ensure what is best for my country she said of her role Now when I talk men listen PTI UZMThis story was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership a journalism fellowship organized by Internews Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Centre for Peace and SecurityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever